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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534383">The Depths Of My Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsProbablyTaken/pseuds/ThisIsProbablyTaken'>ThisIsProbablyTaken</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Deep Sea Horror, F/F, Forbidden Romance, Gen, Mermaids, Not an entirely happy ending, not exactly romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:01:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,716</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534383</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsProbablyTaken/pseuds/ThisIsProbablyTaken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>During her first submersible dive into an infamous trench, marine biology major Lee Gahyeon accidentally stumbles upon something she really shouldn’t have. Yet that something keeps drawing her back into the trench. Can she keep her head above water, or is she in too deep with this mystery?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Gahyeon/Lee Siyeon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is my first time actually writing a fic in years, and fiction writing is not my strong suit, so this probably won't be very groundbreaking.</p><p>i wasn't going to publish until i had the whole thing outlined but then i wanted to upload the prologue for dc's 4th anniversary; i have my rough draft of ch1 written and am in the process of getting it beta read, as well as outlines of ch 2-4 done and ch 5+6 in progress.</p><p>i am obsessed with marine life and deep-sea life in particular so i wanted to explore the idea of merfolk based on some of the weird and wonderful creatures of the abyss</p><p>hope this brings y'all some joy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>“1995.10.6 GUNSAN - In August, two scientists took a submersible down to the bottom of Geomeunmul Trench. They reported bizarre sightings of creatures with vaguely humanoid upper bodies and anglerfish-like tails and antennae. These “mermaid” sightings spurred a wave of “mermaid tourism,” where one could pay upwards of 10 million won for a trip in a submersible to see these “mermaids.” However, things quickly took a darker turn. Not only were these supposed mermaids nothing like the pretty women of tales past, but they were so infrequently spotted it became apparent that these expeditions were just a sham. Plus, many crafts would experience engine troubles and get severely damaged on the trips, yet due to the high costs to repair or replace them would continue to be used until they would fail mid-dive. Even worse, investigators uncovered that these submarine rides were being offered by less than reputable companies, often having too many crafts down at once and causing collisions, or using crafts not designed to withstand the pressures of these depths. It is unknown exactly how many people were killed, but it is estimated at well over 100 in just the three weeks of so-called Mermaid Mania. As a result, the government has closed off Geomeunmul Trench to everyone except authorized scientists, and has banned manned submersibles from the trench and the waters within 20km of it. The main scientific consensus is that there is a gas dissolved in the water of this trench that caused the hallucinations, and so many people identified these hallucinations as mermaids because that was the only explanation in their influenced minds. Scientists are trying to collect water samples from the trench to figure out the cause of Geomeunmul Syndrome.”</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you everyone for reading this!</p><p>i tried to make this as "logical" and "scientific" as possible (haha imagine trying to be scientific with literal deep-sea horror mermaids, priorities amirite?) bc of how my brain works, but when googling ocean depth maps i realized that all the waters surrounding south korea are pretty shallow, so i just decided to invent the geomeunmul trench in the yellow sea, somewhere off of south korea's western coast (geomeunmul means "black water" in korean so that's where the name comes from... i'm really not a creative author).</p><p>in general, writing fiction isn't my strength at all - my writing style is straightforward and to the point and much more suited to nonfiction, and on top of that i struggle with understanding social cues so it's harder for me to do "show not tell" with my writing; it's almost like a foreign language for me in some respects.  so i don't know why i wanted to write a chaptered fiction work like this, but i won't improve if i don't try. i am open and receptive to constructive criticism so don't feel bad about leaving it.</p><p>please leave comments if you'd like; i would greatly appreciate it!</p><p>~beth</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ch 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>well this is probably the most dialogue heavy chapter, and dialogue is hard to write</p><p>shoutout to lime for beta-ing this for me and helping to smooth out clunky sections ilysm</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Okay, everyone, dismissed; continue to work on your thesis and schedule a conference with a prof if you haven’t done so yet!” A middle-aged professor with long dark hair and an intimidating gaze dismisses her Marine Bio Senior Capstone course and starts to pack up her materials to take back to her office. As the ten or so students make their way out, a petite young woman with pastel pink hair and wearing a black leather jacket approaches her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dr. Jo, are you still available to discuss my thesis with me?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Gahyeon,” Dr. Jo answers with a small smile. “By the way, have you met your graduate mentor yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I have; Minji and I have discussed my research together a few times and she’s been working on getting me special permissions for use of ROVs.” Gahyeon is practically bouncing up and down at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re working on figuring out what exactly caused the mermaid hallucinations and what the real organisms behind the sightings were, correct?” Gahyeon nods with a smile as the two of them reach the professor’s office, where another young woman with black hair is already seated. “Ah, Minji, you’re here already; I apologize if I kept you waiting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem, Dr. Jo.” Minji smiles politely. “And it’s good to see you again too, Gahyeon.” She adds upon seeing the pink-haired student.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, Minji, I feel so appreciated.” Gahyeon rolls her eyes fondly at her mentor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you.” Minji opens her computer as Gahyeon takes a seat next to her and Dr. Jo settles across from them. “Actually, Gahyeon, I was looking up research availability last night and I wanted to discuss something with you two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gahyeon perks up, peering over Minji’s shoulder to see her screen. The graduate student continues, “It’s been 25 years since the tragedies, and I read that the government is opening up manned missions for a few select research missions.” At this, the youngest’s eyes light up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, really?!” she exclaims. “When can we go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I have enough authority to get official clearance for Geomeunmul Trench,” Minji laments. Gahyeon deflates and slumps into her seat, looking at her lap. “But Dr. Jo does, so we can ask her to send in the requests.” Gahyeon sits up a bit straighter upon hearing Minji, directing her attention at the professor. She leans forward, eyes hopeful. “Dr. Jo, would you be interested in requesting permission for taking a sub into Geomeunmul Trench on our behalf, please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The eldest smiles reassuringly and nods. “I actually already got clearance and scheduled a research slot for a couple weeks from now; I’ll request the clearance requests for both of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you so much Dr. Jo!” Gahyeon exclaims, her smile almost breaking her face in two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The submersible rights are granted in my name, but-” Dr. Jo looks the undergrad in the eyes. “You will be leading the research.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gahyeon can scarcely believe her ears. She had entered this meeting expecting to discuss ROV usage and received the surprise gift of a lifetime - being one of the first people to visit this mysterious trench in person in 25 years. She practically bounces in her seat thinking of the weird and wonderful wildlife she is going to see, the experience of collecting and analyzing water samples to solve the mystery of what caused the mermaid hallucinations, the thrill of deep-sea diving. The prospect of having her name front and center on a groundbreaking paper and going down in history as the one to solve the mystery of Geomeunmul Trench is suddenly not quite as far-fetched as she had previously thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gahyeon, I will be joining you in the submersible.” Minji snaps the younger out of her thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What- why? I have piloted submersibles before and done so solo.” The pink-haired senior appears petulant; she doesn’t want her mentor or supervisor to underestimate and coddle her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minji sighs at the hothead’s whining. “It’s not that I don’t think you can pilot them or that I don’t trust you; it’s that as you know, this trench has been the site of many fatalities and there are possibly hallucinogenic gases dissolved in the water.” She lets out a shaky sigh, looking away. “I just want you to stay safe, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Minji’s right, Gahyeon,” Dr. Jo adds, backing up the graduate student. “It would be very irresponsible to let someone dive solo into a trench that has been closed off to exploration for the past 25 years due to its peril and high number of deaths. It’s for your own safety, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine.” The youngest in the office feels like a child being told off for running in the hallways. “I guess I will let you supervise me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t doing this because we think you’re irresponsible or incapable; it’s just… you know what happened in 1995, and we need at least two people in a sub for this kind of mission. Because there’s such a high risk, at this point we can’t send solo missions because we need a copilot to pay very close attention to the surrounding. Plus, we want you to take notes of what you see and you can’t do that if you’re also piloting the sub.” Gahyeon spaces out during Dr. Jo’s speech, already thinking about a future solo dive to the trench. “Both of you, I expect you to be very professional and careful. It’s not that I think you aren’t; just that you need to be especially attentive and serious given these circumstances. Please, I understand that you are ambitious and inquisitive, but don’t do anything without authorization; you would risk our clearances being revoked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, Dr. Jo, I get it,” she sighs. “I’ll let Minji go with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Gahyeon,” the graduate student lets out. “I promise not to treat you like a child or anything like that; I know you are an adult. I’m just worried about you, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point they decide to end the meeting and Dr. Jo promises to email the students with a research date once she has one, and makes them promise not to discuss submarine permissions with other people. The three bid each other farewell and go their separate ways.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Back at her apartment, Gahyeon flops face-first onto her bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘It's for your own safety’ my ass,” she mutters into her pillow. “So me going into an infamous trench is fine but doing it ALONE is where they draw the line?! What are they hiding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” her roommate asks from her desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Yoohyeon,” the younger grits out. She is in no mood to discuss her situation with her roommate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No you’re not.” Gahyeon curses Yoohyeon’s perceptiveness. “Did the conference with Mihye go that poorly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It went really well until they started acting as if I am somehow incapable of operating a submarine, even though I have done it before-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, submarine? I thought you were discussing ROVs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gahyeon freezes. Dr. Jo had specifically asked her and Minji not to share information about the submarine usage, due to the possibility of another “Mermaid Mania.” Although she trusts Yoohyeon - not to mention the elder not being nearly as well-versed in marine exploration and biology - she needs to avoid being so careless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yoohyeon, I need you to promise me not to breathe a word of this to anyone. I shouldn’t even have mentioned it to you. Please, for my own safety, don’t tell a soul.” The younger’s speech becomes faster and more frantic as she rambles on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down, Gahyeonnie, please.” Yoohyeon places her hands on her roommate’s shoulders firmly to stop her from shaking. “Deep breaths, okay?” Gahyeon nods, breathing deeply like Yoohyeon instructed. “I will take this to the grave, okay? In return though, you have to take bathroom and dish duty for the next two months.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A fair trade. Deal.” The two shake hands and pinky promise, before Yoohyeon turns back to the draft of her novel and Gahyeon pads into the kitchen and grabs a beer before throwing herself onto the living room sofa.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I guess I have to let Minji babysit me the first time at least,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thinks to herself bitterly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll play along for now, until I can plot the way to the offshore base and trench myself. One way or another I am going to solve this mystery.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>once again, thank you for reading!</p><p>constructive criticism is welcome; for that matter all comments are welcome</p><p>~beth</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Ch 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A humanoid yet fishlike creature swims out from her cave, ready to feed. She can go a while without food but she wants to remain strong and nourished in case she needs to escape from unannounced surfacefolk hiding in their giant armored fish. Compared to how they were when she was a child, nowadays they aren’t as bad about scaring away her prey and in killing her friends and family, but they still occasionally come down and disrupt the entire trench floor. She had found out the hard way that her sharp fangs couldn’t hurt these surfacefolk fish at all, so she must feed herself when they aren’t hunting and hide when they are.</p><p>She opens her large, fanged mouth wide, revealing a glowing blue lure hanging from the roof of said mouth, and lies in wait, the long hairlike feelers on her fingertips, head and eyebrows sensing the surrounding waters for both prey and predators. A small fish swims towards the blue orb, but before it can tell what it is, the creature snaps her mouth shut on the poor animal, impaling it on her long fangs before working it into her throat, whole. It is only then she realizes she just ate a male of her own species, but she shrugs it off and doesn’t let herself wallow in guilt. After all, they are good for nothing and exist only as parasites, attaching themselves to females to mate and mooch off of them for the rest of their sad lives.</p><hr/><p>Two weeks after the conference, Gahyeon, Minji and Dr. Jo are in the professor’s car at 5 am, the eldest driving them to the marina. The three of them are going to spend the weekend at an offshore research base 25km from Geomeunmul Trench, taking a submarine into the trench for research.</p><p>“I’m just confused as to how if these hallucinations were caused by something dissolved in the water, how did they impact people in airtight submarines so severely?” Gahyeon asks from the backseat. “And if they were caused by something in the submarine, why did multiple people on multiple trips down in different submarines claim to see distorted mermaids?” Nothing adds up for her and no possible explanation seems to make sense.</p><p>“Gahyeon, you should definitely write these down if you haven’t,” Dr. Jo responds while driving. “And make some hypotheses-” She is interrupted by her phone, connected to the car via bluetooth, ringing. “Sorry Gahyeon, I gotta answer this; let’s discuss further after this.” She accepts the call and says, “Hello darling?”</p><p>“<em> Babe! How’s the drive going? </em>” A woman’s voice comes through the speaker.</p><p>“I didn’t expect you of all people to be awake at 5am on a Saturday, Hyojin,” Dr. Jo greets her girlfriend, amused. “But traffic is actually not a nightmare for once.”</p><p>“<em> You’re not exactly quiet when you get ready in the morning, Mihye. </em> ” Gahyeon and Minji hold in their snickers at Hyojin exposing their professor. “ <em> But at least the road isn’t full of dumbasses for once, right? You don’t want to get road rage in front of your students, do you? </em>”</p><p>Dr. Jo rolls her eyes even though her lover couldn’t see it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, dear,” she says affectionately. “And despite what you might think, I can in fact drive without yelling at other drivers.”</p><p>“<em> Never said you couldn’t. </em> ” A pause. “ <em> But seriously babe, I know you’ll only be gone for two days but I’ll miss you. </em>”</p><p>The professor’s cheeks redden a bit. “Sh-shut up… I’ll miss you too darling.” She signals her turn onto the highway. “Unfortunately, I have to go now. Love you.”</p><p>“<em> Love you too. </em> ” <em> Click </em>.</p><p>Dr. Jo’s dreamy smile stays on her face even after the call ends. <em> Damn I have never felt more single </em>, Gahyeon thinks to herself. She knows she neither needs nor wants a relationship because her studies take up so much of her time and energy but if she does she hopes it can be even half as amazing as her professor’s.</p><p>Gahyeon brings herself back to the matters at hand and writes down her hypotheses in her notebook, just below where she has written the address and coordinates of the marina. <em> Hypothesis: Geomeunmul syndrome is caused by a chemical produced by some organisms - likely algae or a planktonic animal - living nearer to the surface, and it’s a gas that is relatively dense and doesn’t diffuse through the air quickly enough to affect people on the base itself as opposed to those actually getting below the surface in a submarine </em>. Satisfied with her theory and ability to elaborate and reword it in the future, she plugs in her headphones and leans her head against the window. Her eyes close and she drifts off in an attempt to catch up on at least some of the sleep she had lost that night.</p><hr/><p>“Gahyeon, wake up.” The pink-haired woman is jolted awake by someone shaking her shoulders and talking loudly in her ear. She peels her eyes open and rubs them, stumbling out of the car and stretching a bit before apologizing to Minji and Dr. Jo, who both reassure her it’s no big deal. They have arrived at the marina in Gunsan, and the sun is starting to come up. Minji’s stomach growls, prompting Dr. Jo to direct the students to a seaside cafe for some much-needed breakfast and caffeine. Gahyeon munches on a bagel and sips her tea, in an attempt to wake herself up a bit more. She makes sure not to eat too heavily to minimize the chances of seasickness, but her mind is preoccupied with thoughts about what awaits her in the depths.</p><p>Faster than she realizes they finish and Dr. Jo leads them back to her car so they can retrieve their bags from the trunk, before taking them into a small university-owned building. The professor talks to the person at the front desk, confirming that they have permission to take a boat and returning to the students holding a key. The three of them carry their bags to a small motorboat in the marina and stuff them into the cabin, and Dr. Jo checks the wind and current speeds while Gahyeon and Minji write them down for her, before untethering the boat from the dock and inserting the key into the dashboard. The sound of the motor whirring startles Gahyeon briefly but she recovers by the time the boat is propelled forward, towards the base. The pink-haired woman steps out onto the deck, feeling the cool sea breeze against her face and taking in the salty scent. She may be on this boat for her project but she still finds the ocean relaxing.</p><p>~~~</p><p>After an hour, they arrive at a structure that superficially resembles a large oil rig without the drilling machinery and Dr. Jo parks their boat next to it, not forgetting to clip it to prevent it from floating away. From there, she directs Gahyeon and Minji to their overnight quarters. Their room is by no means luxurious, with the only furnishings being a metal-framed bunk bed with stiff-looking mattresses and thin sheets, a writing desk and swivel chair, and a small metal dresser, all of which was bolted to the metal floor. Gahyeon doesn’t really mind it and loudly announces that she claims the top bunk, dumping her suitcase near the dresser and proceeding to check out the attached bathroom. Like the rest of the room, it is minimal and cramped but not squalid, and is equipped with a sink, toilet and shower cubicle. It’s not any worse than what Gahyeon’s dorm room had her first year.</p><p>As Minji lays her suitcase near the foot of the bed and flops face first onto the bottom bunk, wondering how Gahyeon has this much energy at seven in the morning on a Saturday, especially given how long they’ve already been awake, Dr. Jo calls into the room: “I’ll give you two about 15 minutes to get settled in before we meet again on the loading dock!”</p><hr/><p>“Okay, if you don’t mind, I’ll stay on the surface and monitor things in case anything goes wrong,” Dr. Jo instructs her two students who are waiting on the submarine dock. Both of them nod, Gahyeon eagerly and Minji with a bit of hesitation. Dr. Jo continues, “I programmed the coordinates into this sub’s radar map, and I’ll be there to take control if something goes wrong; simply radio me or press the panic button.” Minji makes a sound of understanding. “We’ve discussed this before but we won’t have cameras aboard this dive because we don’t want them to get into the wrong hands.” As the two prepare to step into the submersible hatch, Dr. Jo remembers something. </p><p>“Oh yeah, Gahyeon. To test your theory about hallucinogenic chemicals I will gather a surface water sample and run it in the lab for testing. I’ve also equipped the sub with a small collection jar apparatus so you can easily collect a trench water sample.” Gahyeon nods her thanks at the professor as she climbs down the ladder and takes her co-pilot’s seat, notebook in hand, and Minji closes the hatch before buckling herself into the pilot’s seat.</p><p>Minji puts the keys into the ignition and the sub dashboard lights up and she presses some buttons and takes hold of the joystick. With that, they begin their descent beneath the surface and short journey to the trench itself. Gahyeon takes notes about her observations and keeps careful watch out the front window, so she can warn Minji of anything in the way in time for her to take a detour.</p><p>Once they reach the trench itself Gahyeon becomes even more alert, as she’s not only serving as Minji’s extra set of eyes but she’s responsible for recording observations and anything unusual. The lack of cameras onboard means that her notes will be more crucial than ever. At a depth of around 3500m Gahyeon presses the button that opens the smallest sample collection chamber, gathering trench water to take to the surface for testing and closing it again to avoid contamination. She finds herself spacing out while observing the deep ocean, illuminated only by the sub’s low headlights and the twinkling of bioluminescent plankton.</p><p>Suddenly, at the edge of the sub’s headlight beam, Gahyeon swears she sees a giant anglerfish tail and what looks like a brick colored hand with long, slim, almost gangly fingers and filaments approximately 45 cm long on each fingertip.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Gahyeon breathes.</p><p>Minji jumps from her position at the steering board. “W-what is it Gahyeon? Is it worth distracting me? I need to keep my eyes on the water here.”</p><p>“N-no, Minji,” the younger mutters apologetically. “I’ll tell you once we surface…” She believes she might be starting to hallucinate but she doesn’t feel any headaches or dizziness, and quickly writes down that she may have hallucinated a humanoid hand and a giant anglerfish. Gahyeon continues to look around and take notes of the animals in the trench, staring into the abyss at the twinkling light show of bioluminescence, the cerulean display reminding her of the night sky.</p><p>Suddenly, right in the headlights of the submersible, there appears a creature so bizarre and alien that upon registering it in her brain, Gahyeon recoils and nearly hits her head on the craft’s ceiling, and is barely able to bring her hands to her mouth to muffle her scream. Minji also catches a glimpse of the being, just two meters in front of the submersible, and can scarcely believe her own eyes, completely frozen.</p><p>With dark blue and black filaments on top of its superficially humanlike head that looked almost like a thick head of actual hair, antennae on its deep brick-colored face and surrounding its large, bulging, glassy bluish eyes, its wide mouth open to reveal several long fangs and a glowing blue orb hanging from the roof of its mouth, this.... thing is unlike anything either of them had seen before.</p><p>As both women attempt to process this creature, it turns to swim away, briefly showing its large black fan-shaped tail.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much to @Limeveis on twt for being my beta reader!</p><p>The deep-sea creature is based on multiple real deep-sea fish but is primarily inspired by the hairy anglerfish - with the brick/maroon skin, sharp teeth, antennae/filaments, and sexual dimorphism with males being tiny and parasitic to females (which is actually common to most if not all anglerfish). The black fan-shaped tail is taken from different species of anglerfish.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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